Did the last nail get lined up for Netflix’s coffin by Verizon and Redbox?

Earlier today, Verizon and Coinstar, owner of Redbox, formally announced a huge partnership that will bring physical and streaming videos to any consumer anywhere. The company will be 65% Verizon and 35% Coinstar, so there is a lot of clout behind it when it comes time to get those rights for digital and physical content negotiated. While the release doesn’t come out and state it, it is highly likely that the streaming service will be coming to at least the Xbox 360 (Verizon has the FiOS app already on the machine) based on Verizon wanting people to “enjoy the entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the devices and media they prefer, at home or away." The details were not released, with Verizon citing competitive concerns, but we will know more in the future.

This news is probably pretty disconcerting to Netflix, who has a presence on just about every digital device under the sun for years, but can't seem to get themselves over the top. However, after several missteps in the last year (1, 2, 3, 4), Netflix seemed to level off (or at least, quit stepping on their own toes) but we still have no idea what direction the company will be going in and how successful they will be at renegotiating their digital rights contracts.

I personally loved this news, as it should make for an interesting battle that hopefully will lead to the consumers getting the win due to the competition. If anything, maybe the Verizon/Redbox marriage will get us a complete streaming system that includes all movies and television shows that are current.